eThekwini pays outstanding medical waste fees
Compass Waste Services confirmed that services had resumed, but uMhlanga ward councillor Heinz de Boer said it would take some time before all the city's clinics recovered from the 'medical crisis'.
AS situations once again grew dire for municipal clinics north of Durban last week eThekwini Head of Communications, Tozi Mthethwa insisted that there was no crisis and that ‘medical waste removal services were being carried out’. This after the services at many clinics came to an abrupt halt in July, as the city’s contract with Compass Waste Services (CWS) expired in January.
However, uMhlanga ward councillor heinz de Boer said on Wednesday last week that he was forced to rally support from a private hospital for two clinics in his ward that had run out of medical waste containers. The latest of which involved the Umhlanga Clinic. Fellow councillor, Shontel Asbury, had to do the same for the Glen Earle Clinic in Newlands East earlier this month.
By mid-October, the situation had become dire for most of the clinics in the city, including the La Lucia and Glen Earle clinics. Not only had they completely run out of waste bins, but the clinics were saddled with an enormous amount medical waste, preventing them for offering vital services, such as baby vaccinations, contraceptive injections as well as and HIV and other blood tests.
De Boer confirmed that he and Asbury met with the deputy city manager of the health sector, Dr Musa Gumede in the hopes of ending the crisis. During the meeting Gumede confirmed that the contact had been finalised and that services would be restored to normal.
“We are relieved by the news, but it will take a while to filter through to all the clinics. But at least the contract is signed and sealed,” said De Boer.
Ian du Randt, managing director, at CWS, supported the claim confirming that the eThekwini Municipality had paid all but a very small amount of the outstanding funds. “Collection, treatment and disposal of the municipality’s clinics’ healthcare waste has resumed with immediate effect,” he said on Thursday.
Last week the Northglen News reported that the municipality had only paid a portion of the fees.
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